


(Like) A Brother

by camichats



Category: Marvel
Genre: Alternate Universe, Background Steve/Rhodey, Gen, Minor Bucky Barnes/Tony Stark, Time Skips
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-09-10
Updated: 2018-09-10
Packaged: 2019-07-10 20:33:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,494
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15956990
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/camichats/pseuds/camichats
Summary: "So, Mister Barnes," Doctor Erskine said, and Steve blinked because- what. "Welcome to the United States Army." He grabbed the 1-A stamp and put it on Steve's file, but not the one that had the correct information. He handed the file to Steve and left the room before he had a chance to tell Doctor Erskine about the mistake.He thought about finding him and telling him that his last name was Rogers, but how would this affect him? Really?





	(Like) A Brother

**Author's Note:**

  * For [TT_Angst_Queen](https://archiveofourown.org/users/TT_Angst_Queen/gifts).



> We were talking on the Winteriron discord and this happened -.-

"So, Mister Barnes," Doctor Erskine said, and Steve blinked because- what. "Welcome to the United States Army." He grabbed the 1-A stamp and put it on Steve's file, but not the one that had the correct information. He handed the file to Steve and left the room before he had a chance to tell Doctor Erskine about the mistake.

He thought about chasing after him, but his lungs wouldn't be able to handle it and also... he looked down at the file and saw the ink drying on the 1-A. Steven Grant Barnes, brother to James Buchanan Barnes - already accepted-  born in Queens, current residence in Brooklyn. He couldn't help making a face at the Queens part, but that was a small price to pay for getting to help save lives.

Besides, how would this affect him? Really?

* * *

Basic was tough, but it wasn't anything he wasn't expecting. He heard the other men bitching and moaning about it, and he wanted to ask them how they could be so ungrateful, but he knew that would end in a fight, and he wasn't about to let down Doctor Erskine like that. The doc had given him a chance, it would be rude to throw it back in his face like that. So Steve held his tongue and focused on doing the drills.

They yelled 'Barnes' at him all the time because apparently using a fella's first name was taboo around these parts. (Not that they really thought that of course, but they avoided first names like they would a loose dame inside the church.)

Point is, Steve was used to people yelling Bucky's name and him having to respond since the trouble they got into was together more often than not.

* * *

Agent Carter calling him Barnes felt a little off, but no more so than a dame actually talking to him was. Like anything else though, it was easy to get used to.

* * *

Captain America was an honorary title, he knew. No real power there because he was a propaganda piece, but it carried onto parts of his life that weren't directly in front of the camera, and that was real fucking peculiar.

Because people were calling him 'Captain Barnes' and he was having to respond to it. Senator Grant called him Captain 'Barnes' and 'America' interchangeably, to the point that Steve plastered on his show smile anytime he heard the man's voice.

Hell's bells but he hated this.

* * *

He found Bucky strapped to a damn rusting table with blood on it, and he wanted to use his new strength to rip someone in half-- preferably the person who did this to him. He swallowed down the urge, a little afraid of the ferocity of that thought. Or- shit not even the thought. He was scared of the fact that he could actually do it now, and no one would be able to stop him.

 _Bucky's the better brother_ , he thought, a little hysterically. Old Miss Edwards next door had always said that Steve was the sweet one, but they were pretty sure that she thought Steve was five or ten years younger and that's why she was nicer to him than Bucky.

* * *

Bucky was frowning at him, still confused. "How?" he asked again. "I mean really Stevie, _how_?"

Steve sighed, leaning forward onto his crossed arms (the motion didn't pull on his lungs and make it hard for him to breathe anymore). "I didn't mean for it to get so out of hand."

Bucky picked up one of the movie art prints, a dumbfounded disbelief still painting his face. "'Steve Barnes starring in-'"

"I know!" Steve cut him off from reading the rest, cheeks pinking. He snatched it away, and Bucky didn't stand a chance of keeping ahold of it. "Look, it's not my fault, but--"

"Th' last time you said that, you'd just gotten blood on your sheets. Your _clean_ sheets, Stevie."

He scowled at Bucky. "That wasn't my fault, and you know it so stop being a bastard. Look, it's the name I put on my first enlistment form, so that's what the doc thought my real name was."

"And you didn't correct 'im?"

He shifted uncomfortably. "Well... it sorta snowballed on me. The first time anyone said it, it was in passing, an' then I was gettin' chosen for the program and they all thought that was my name. C'mon Buck what does it even matter? So everyone thinks we're brothers, that's not that bad. It stopped me from gettin' kicked out after Azzano."

Bucky punched Steve in the arm. "You weren't gonna get kicked out. You're their only super soldier, remember? They can't afford t' lose you, no matter how much of a little punk you are."

"Not so little anymore," he reminded Bucky stubbornly.

He pat Steve on his large bicep. "Whatever gets you through the night Stevie Barnes," he said with a shit-eating grin.

* * *

**Seventy or so years later...**

Bucky and Steve were in the kitchen trying to figure out a recipe when Tony stormed in. "Steven Grant Barnes you had better have an excuse for this!" he yelled, slapping a newspaper on the table because apparently he was both angry and dramatic enough to go out and get a printed newspaper.

Steve walked over to the table and peered at it. A picture took up most of the top half, showing Steve lip-locked with Rhodey, the overly large headline reading **Captain America in Love or Lust?** "Ah."

"That's all you have to say for yourself?"

Steve looked to Bucky for help, but Bucky was just looking at Steve with a perplexed expression on his face. He turned back to Tony and grabbed the newspaper, half to get a better look at the picture, and half to get the photo out of Tony's sight (because it seemed like it was only making him more upset). "I thought you didn't believe tabloid pictures," he said carefully.

"This isn't a tabloid, and I called Rhodey first, only instead of laughing like I expected him to, he hung up on me! And he's not taking my calls, to the point that he turned off his phone. My honey bear wouldn't do that without good reason. So. Steven. What did you do?"

"Uh." Steve rubbed at the back of his neck, starting to blush. "Look Tony, I was going to tell you--"

"Tell me _what_ exactly."

"Hold up," Bucky interrupted, tuning into the conversation. "You and Rhodey? How did that even happen?"

"Uh..." Steve was starting to get the look of a cornered animal, eyes darting around the kitchen for means of escape.

"You didn't tell your own brother? Seriously Barnes? What the fuck is wrong with you?! It's bad enough that you are dating my innocent little platypus, but you didn't even tell anyone?" Tony put his hands on his hips, glaring at Steve. "I will have you know that James Rhodes is the best you will ever be able to do, _Captain_ ; he’s not some dirty little secret"

Bucky frowned, utterly confused. "Did you just call Steve 'Barnes'? And my brother?"

"Yeah," Tony said, the 'duh' clear in his tone.

"Steve?" he asked, looking to him for clarification.

Steve looked confused for a minute, before his face cleared. "You don't have all your memories back. Right, uh, everyone thinks my last name is Barnes. And that we’re brothers," he said, nodding in Tony’s direction.

"You're not?"

"No."

"So what's your actual last name?"

"Rogers," Bucky answered for him.

"Steve Rogers," Tony said slowly, feeling it out. He made a face. "Ew no. Captain America's name is Steve Barnes. Or Steve Rhodes if you man up," he added with a sniff.

"I thought you didn't want them together?" Bucky asked.

"Meh." Tony waved his hand carelessly at Steve. "It was a big deal when I thought this was his biggest secret." He gasped suddenly, delighted. "I get to be the one to tell Coulson!" he yelled, then spun on his heel and ran from the room, presumably to tell Coulson that half his collection had the wrong information on it.

Steve pointed at the doorway where Tony had just disappeared. "That's the man you're in love with."

Bucky shoved at him. "Shuddup punk, at least we didn’t hide it. I take it I knew before?"

"The name thing? Yeah, you thought it was hilarious."

Bucky hummed, going back to stare at the recipe. "So you got outta the ice and didn't tell anyone?"

"They had statues of me already. _Statues_ , Bucky. Not to mention an entire goddamn exhibit in the Smithsonian. I'm not gonna tell them that it was a lie and make 'em rework everything. There's a million of those little plaques, and they'd have to rewrite all those history books and... yeah. Not really worth the trouble. Besides, don't you like me as your brother?" he asked with an impish grin.

Bucky snorted. "I could do worse, I guess."


End file.
